DELAYED — Due to steady, intermittent rainfall throughout the winter and spring, essentially
no rice was early planted for 2020. (Division of Agriculture photo.)

Jarrod Hardke, extension rice agronomist for the University of Arkansas System Division
of Agriculture, said Thursday that a handful of growers began water-seeding rice,
a technique that typically accounts for about 5 percent of all rice acreage in the
state.

“That’s the very first rice planted in Arkansas to my knowledge,” Hardke said. “But
beyond that, we’re still staring at a very difficult time to get any other rice in
the ground.”

The window for early-planted rice has nearly passed, with hardly a break in the wet
weather that has plagued the state for most of the past 18 months. Since Jan. 1, much
of the state has received about 150 percent of its typical rainfall for the three-month
window, according to data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

The near future forecast doesn’t look much different, with next week’s temperatures
dropping back into the 60s, and more rainfall expected.

Will 2020 be a big year?

Nevertheless, 2020 still holds the potential to be a big year for Arkansas rice acreage,
Hardke said, likely exceeding 1.5 million acres.

“It continues to point up,” he said.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has conducted surveys of growers over the past
two weeks, he said — the same period in which the COVID-19 pandemic has seized much
of the world’s attention, leading in part to panic-buying of rice and other staples
in the United States. Simultaneously, soybean and corn contract prices have dropped,
while rice prices have remained relatively stable.

Market prices weigh heavily on growers’ acreage allocation decisions, and 2020 is
likely to be no different.

“In theory, some of that shift in intention will show up in the prospective planting
report,” Hardke said. “Given everything else that’s happened, 1.5 million acres, assuming
we have the opportunity to plant it, is actually at the low end of my expectations.”

Hardke said that, as of yet, the coronavirus pandemic has had no identifiable effect
of the mechanics of farming itself — although the continued delays in planting leave
the state with an open question.

“We’re just unable to really do much of anything yet,” he said. “Even preparing for
the season, you’re not much going into your local retailers — everything can be done
over the phone.

“Everyone seems to have most of their inputs on hand,” he said. “It doesn’t seem,
at this stage, like we’re going to run into major issues. But it is something everyone’s
concerned about, should things continue to drag on. The first week when the weather
opens up enough for us to do anything, it’s going to be a pretty good barometer of
how the pandemic might affect farming. We just don’t have that information yet.”

To learn about extension programs in Arkansas, contact your local Cooperative Extension
Service agent or visit www.uaex.edu. Follow us on Twitter at @UAEX_edu.

About the Division of Agriculture

The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture’s mission is to strengthen
agriculture, communities, and families by connecting trusted research to the adoption
of best practices. Through the Agricultural Experiment Station and the Cooperative
Extension Service, the Division of Agriculture conducts research and extension work
within the nation’s historic land grant education system.

The Division of Agriculture is one of 20 entities within the University of Arkansas
System. It has offices in all 75 counties in Arkansas and faculty on five system campuses.

The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture offers all its Extension
and Research programs to all eligible persons without regard to race, color, sex,
gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, religion, age, disability, marital
or veteran status, genetic information, or any other legally protected status, and
is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer.